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June 8, 2008 4:30 PM PDT

Robbie Bach touts Windows Mobile over iPhone, BlackBerry

by Steven Musil

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, told the San Francisco Chronicle in an interview published Sunday that the company has no plans to put up a Zune phone to compete with iPhone.

Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment & Devices Division.

(Credit: Microsoft)

On the eve of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where a new iPhone is rumored to be unveiled, the man who is charge of developing Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile began his question-and-answer session with the paper by touting the success of Windows Mobile.

"We will outsell the iPhone," he told the newspaper."We will outsell the BlackBerry."

"We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves," the told the paper. "Our focus is on the belief that a phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones. We think that is going to continue, and we think Windows Mobile is in a great position to service all those different opportunities."

He went on to say that the phone itself is just one component of smartphones' success.

"It's about browsing. It's about music. It's about video. It's about e-mails, text messaging, and photos."

On the topic of mobile browsing, Bach also addressed the issue of the lack of advertising success in mobile Web browsing, saying that it's still a work in progress.

"The business model for browsing on a phone has not gotten itself completely clear yet," he said. "In the PC space, the way people monetize the Internet is through advertising. Now in the phone space, we believe that advertising will be a part of that experience, but it's a different form factor."

Bach also touched on entertainment issues, including Microsoft's backing of the now-largely extinct HD DVD format, pointing out that many consumers say they can't see a substantial picture quality improvement with next-generation discs.

"You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, 'I am not going to pay extra for that.'"

And can we expect to see the company embrace Blu-ray in the next version of its Xbox game console?

"There is nothing to even talk about right now with regard to the next generation. That is so far out that there isn't anything to talk about."

However, CrunchGear is reporting that a tipster with "close friend who works at Microsoft" said they were told that Microsoft will try to upstage Apple on Monday with the announcement that an Blu-ray Xbox 360 will be available by the Christmas holiday shopping season.

Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (30 Comments)
by t8 June 8, 2008 5:08 PM PDT
No plans to put up a Zune phone to compete with iPhone?

In other words the Zune is a flop and making a phone out of it would be a complete waste of time.
Reply to this comment
by wtgig June 8, 2008 5:23 PM PDT
*** how does it translate to that it just means that their focusing the zune as an mp3 player alot of consumers look at the zune as a better player than the ipod and its selling fast its only second place to the ipod in sales but the ipod has been in here for years how can microsoft dethrown them in 3 years thats the dumbest thought ever
by Kev Orng June 9, 2008 6:15 AM PDT
@wtgig
The period key is two keys left of the shift key. Although it looks like you might need a map to find the shift key as well!
Anyways, three ways to be sure you're dealing with an idiot on the web: deliberately bad grammar; no punctuation to speak of; and thinks the Zune is second after the iPod. Ever heard of SanDisk?

On that note, Zune is not touching iPod sales, it's only gnawing away at Microsoft's former PlaysForSure partners like Creative and Sandisk.

So it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they coughed up some new Zunephone and betrayed their Windows Mobile partners, since that business model was so successful at getting them a 4% market share
by thenet411 June 8, 2008 5:18 PM PDT
I have a Windows Mobile 6 device (AT&T Tilt) and it blows the iPhone out of the water for me. I can load MP3s, WMAs, and many other audio types on my phone and listen to them all day long. In addition, I can stream Windows Media streams to my phone and the iPhone can't stream ANYTHING. Web browsing used to be a pain since the IE Mobile doesn't support full size web pages but with SkyFire I can browse anywhere. Who needs an iPhone?
Reply to this comment
by jumpjetta June 8, 2008 5:31 PM PDT
And heck, on the eve of nobody paying any attention to M$ for the next 6 weeks while the new iPhone rolls out, we might as well *claim* we're going to outsell everyone else based on no particular fact or data. Somebody at CNET will report it as "news" "(of course) and maybe we'll steal a half-second of Apple's limelight.

Windows Mobile is a completely worthless OS for a phone as it's so ridiculously complex and unintuitive, not to mention an aesthetically unappealing experience. It was an also-ran in the smart-phone space long before it had any competition. Come to think of it, a "smartphone" with Windows Mobile is pretty much an oxymoron. We accidentally ended up buying a phone with WM on it... worst pile of crap I'd used. It made me want to go back to my phone from five years earlier... the one with the monochrome LCD screen.
Reply to this comment
by delf76 June 8, 2008 5:35 PM PDT
They have no plans to make a Phone? on 4.15.2008, microsoft completed acquisition of Danger, and incorprated them into the Premium mobile Experiences Group at Microsoft. Danger makes the t-mobile Sidekcik (ironically, does NOT run Windows Mobile).

So, if they aren't planning on manufacturing a phone, what in the hell are they doing with Danger?
Reply to this comment
by zanely June 8, 2008 5:56 PM PDT
I don't know anyone who uses their cell-phone as MP3 player. Most folks have an iPod for that. The fact that a phone can download and play audio files may be a nice feature but it's not a selling point for me. Light, compact and internet accessible are features that appeal to me and the AT&T Tilt is anything but light. It's a brick. That thing is 3/4" thick and HEAVY. Sure it's got a lot of features, it damn well should since it weighs almost as much as most sub-notebooks.
Reply to this comment
by ewelch June 8, 2008 5:57 PM PDT
Hahahahahahah! Like Ballmer, this guy lives in an echo chamber. He actually believes that Windows Mobile, which has been outclassed and devastated by Blackberry and the iPhone, and is way behind Symbian, and will be surpassed by Android before you can say "Service Pack 1 for Windows Mobile 6."

The guy actually believes that nonsense coming out of his mouth? Okay, well, nobody else does.
Reply to this comment
by thenet411 June 8, 2008 6:07 PM PDT
I beg to differ with you. The iPhone is an amazing phone but it was not aimed at the corporate market. With the newest iPhone supporting ActiveSync, that will change. But, the Blackberry is a complete joke in the corporate space. Their Blackberry server is so unbelievably expensive and doesn't work all that well. In the corporate Windows environment, Windows Mobile is king.
by X-C3PO June 8, 2008 6:39 PM PDT
think about the "Zune", did it compete to the iPod? waste money,
a Zune phone? waste more money,
suggest m$ cut the stupid department to save more poor people of world.
Reply to this comment
by krushyou June 8, 2008 7:18 PM PDT
If you cancel your service with at&t does your iphone become a brick or do all the functions continue to work minus the phone?

Anything MS related always brings out the same comments, Windows Mobile is far more popular then the Iphone both are great devices it depends on the user's preference though.

About the Zune, MS is doing something Apple never would have done continue to add features to a device that is 2 years old. They have continued to improve it and the software and its only gotten better. The new sync groups is far better then anything Ipod has, it sets up groups for you automatically OR you can create your own, then you can choose to sync them all if there is something that is too big it will show you the largest file and allow you to remove it during the sync, Ipod's way to put the music on is either drag and drop or make a playlist which takes time that I don't have. (if there is an easier way I would love to know) You might not like it because its not an Ipod but I along with 2 million other people enjoy the product, so its doing well enough. Plus if it was such a flop why would they open it to other markets?

Canada will be getting it June 13th plus you can now put games on it (beta right now of course)

Europe I believe is getting it when they launch the Zune 3
by stuxstu June 8, 2008 6:49 PM PDT
Let?s see.... Windows Mobile sales for last year 15 million... iPhone 4 million.

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/12780/13804/microsoft-windows-mobile-phone-sales.phtml

Why would you want a $500 iPod that can be used as a Phone? Add in very little memory and to me it is the silliest product out there....
Reply to this comment
by setgo June 8, 2008 8:25 PM PDT
And that's why your not a businessman stusux. Apple's stock is at 185 because of this "silly product". That's okay though. It's people like you who make the rat race what it is today. Good luck.
by halfNakedPappy June 8, 2008 6:55 PM PDT
I use the iPhone as an iPod... it's great in the car. It's far from a silly product. It has a great interface an runs well with my Mac. Last I checked, Windows Mobile doesn't sync with my mac or iTunes.
Reply to this comment
by fortyonejb June 8, 2008 7:45 PM PDT
mmm, i take my WM6 phone, go to my favorite net radio and stream away. In fact I could even stream my home media collection if I felt like it. Wait I can't do that with a more expensive iPhone? Superior technology my ass. You'll never be a poor man betting on the "oh it looks so nice, it must be the BEST" crowd.
Reply to this comment
by egarc--2008 June 8, 2008 8:48 PM PDT
fyi, I use flytunes or last.fm via the iPhone version of MobileScrobbler to stream music. The iPhone may not support widows media files yet but it streams Youtube and Quicktime videos.
by Kev Orng June 9, 2008 6:29 AM PDT
@egarc
Don't bet on iPhones or iPods ever supporting Windows Media; it's a proprietary format for which they would have to pay a licensing fee to Microsoft. All of the formats that the iPod accepts are open standards like MP3, AAC, and M4P. On the video side, also open standards but also Apple's Quicktime.

Yes, I know, there is DRM on many of the tracks from th iTunes store, but M4P is still an open standard.

I don't think Apple will ever pay a licensing fee to Microsoft for the pleasure of using their crappy wm codecs.
by midhenry June 8, 2008 8:27 PM PDT
Microsoft is in total denial and Bach just comes of as another marketing hack.

At a lower price with higher speed data transfer it is hard to imagine anyone not picking an iPhone. The user interface SW is simply astounding as opposed to MS usual features clutter (however clumsily implemented).

And.... excuse me, why did they work so hard for HDDVD if there is such a small difference?

These people are going to get ther butt kicked and they deserve it.
Reply to this comment
by thefilebunch June 8, 2008 9:24 PM PDT
Have all three formats in our household. Here is a typical scenario when getting some sushi in Manhattan:

Daughter One, Blackberry user (and loves it)--"Dad, can I see your phone. I need to check my Facebook".

Daughter Two, Pantech Duo user with MS--"Dad, can I see your phone. I want to check out YouTube".

Dad--Left with a capable phone great for texting/e-mails (Blackberry) and another with the most unintuitive interface ever (the Pantech with MS). I only need to touch one button to get my news, sports scores and weather in real time. The MS on the Pantech (not a bad phone) is a mess. Sure, Microsoft will ship millions of MS--to everyone else who is not Apple or RIM.
by GatesOfHell June 8, 2008 9:37 PM PDT
In unrelated news, the Pope is out there hawking Catholicism.
Reply to this comment
by Maclover1 June 8, 2008 10:03 PM PDT
Stream media to the iphone.....check.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/06/08/sling_unveils_concept_slingplayer_mobile_for_iphone.html
Reply to this comment
by bakedpatato June 8, 2008 11:17 PM PDT
@Maclover1
Its a Proof of Concept,and requires a jailbreak meaning that the SDK does not meet Sling's requirements(I suspect the one program only running limit could be it). The fact that you need a jailbreak means something...its Apple's legendary locked platform in action.
WM's mature software, superior hardware(see AT&T Tilt), and inherent flexibility(better than the iPhone's flexibility, for sure, for example, my old HP rx3115 was a remote) makes it the winnar, but the GUI is not shiny for Joe Average,and that is why the iPhone wins.
on that note: PLEASE M$,aggressively advertise WM to the 18-25 segment! I am TIRED of seeing my peers using the iPhone, and losing out on the flexibility of WM! The time is right, the sale of "smart phones" to the younger generation is skyrocketing! C'mon, give Paris a Tilt, see how your sales will go up!
/end fanboism
(BTW:I have a iPod Touch, I enjoy the apps via Jailbreak, but I miss the games and Office)
by yingp89 June 9, 2008 1:19 AM PDT
Very good!
Reply to this comment
by groink_hi June 9, 2008 3:00 AM PDT
Here's what I find funny about Microsoft. Every executive there believes that Microsoft MUST out-sell the competition. Everything - from Windows, Xbox, Windows Mobile.... Being number-one is all about producing top-selling products. Whatever happened to focusing on just selling a great product? You don't see BMW trying to outsell Toyota. If the executives are trained to think that number one is all about being the number-one sold product on the planet, then to me that explains why their products are only "par". Microsoft is basically Sears & Roebuck or Walmart of the IT world. Apple's success is being the Louis Vuitton or Chanel of the IT world. A woman can purchase a $20 purse and it will do good things for her. But show off a Louis Vuitton purse - forget about what's inside the bag!!!! The geek execs at Microsoft are just that: geeks who do not understand that what's under the hood is NOT AT ALL what success in retail is all about. A Windows Mobile fan can spend the next ten years explaining the great things his phone has over an iPhone. But there's one thing he will NEVER comprehend: the social appeal of the iPhone. Most of us are looking for merchandise to boost our appearance. No other electronic device has done this as much as the iPod and iPhone. Microsoft must stop worrying about just out-selling their competitors and start putting some thought into how people look at other people using technology. Because at the end of the day, many of us want to make a great first impression when we're out in the public.
Reply to this comment
by sal-magnone June 9, 2008 6:18 AM PDT
Same thing they said about the X-BOX. We are way early in this cycle.
Reply to this comment
by drleeds June 9, 2008 7:44 AM PDT
I don't understand the significance of mobile web advertising not being fully developed. Is this why phones and PDAs that run Windows come with incompetent browsers? There is a need for portable devices that come with a working web browser that has nothing to do with surfing to public sites to view ads. Bill Gates dreams of doctors carrying tablet PCs into exam rooms instead of paper charts. There are excellent medical programs that are web based. An iPhone can drop right into this role today. So can a heavy, noisy, hot, fan-blowing tablet PC that requires a stylus running Windows XP. A mobile Windows device cannot. Yes, I know you can add a 3rd party browser that will work better, but why bother? I have tried all of these options in practice. None are completely satisfactory, but iPhone/iPod Touch are closest. They just need to be faster with bigger screens.
Reply to this comment
by Heebee Jeebies June 9, 2008 8:24 AM PDT
"Our focus is on the belief that a phone is a very personal thing."

He is 100% correct, cell phones are a personal thing. Personally, I like my iPhone. It is the best phone I have out (out of 9 so far), it is far easier to use and offers me features that I like.

That does not mean that it is the right phone for everyone. For one thing it is a little over priced, seconds your stuck pretty much with AT&T and third... well third is what you you choose.
Reply to this comment
by Seaspray0 June 9, 2008 8:31 AM PDT
Neither phone is "crap" as so many of you claim. Each phone has its good and bad points and what's important is for the individual to decide which one is best for them and let it be at that. I have found windows mobile to be a good business tool with the ability to synch to corporate email, open attachments, and with an open development platform you can get apps that meet your needs. The one thing I don't like is how some of the menu's are laid out and not having a fully functional browser (which on the size of a screen on a mobile phone isn't really going to be great to begin with). The iphone is pretty, but I'm not happy with not being able to change the battery, no corporate email support (soon to be corrected with active sync) and the restricted apps development. So neither is perfect, but far from crap.

I'll let the numbers speak for themselves. 15 million sales for windows mobile and 4 million for iphone. If the phones were crap, those numbers would not be where they are today. No matter how much you trash it, there's alot more than you who think it's a treasure. It's time to get off your high horse and stop your childish whinning.
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by Penguinisto June 9, 2008 9:46 AM PDT
ROTFL! I expected nothing less from someone who seems content with falling behind...
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